Morning walk

Scenes from the Weekend

The Hubs and I took a long weekend and went up to the mountains above Palm Springs to visit his parents for a few days.
We gardened. We read. We watched Olympics. We played fetch. We napped. We went to the hardware store in Anza. We ventured out to Dairy Queen. It was lovely.

Off we go! So excited!

Sammi's favorite window. 

To Read. 

Lunch for the hubs. Heart attack on a plate with a side of high cholesterol. 

Moose-ing around.

This dog and his ball are rarely parted. 

In other news...

It's grey and rainy so it's about time to find some time to blog a bit.
Here's a little of what I've been up to lately, for those who don't follow me on Instagram.
(I'm lilbikergirl, if you want to find me.)

Mountain Biking with Hubs

 

Ojai with Mom and Sisters.

Sammi has somehow found it OK to be on the couch in the sunroom.

Earnest is a little bit Emo. But we already knew that. 

 

Fighting for Sun

As close as they'll ever get to 'snuggling' with each other...

Creature Feature: Teepees and Cabins

My cats are super envious of these not-so-humble abodes and are begging me to get one.
Dilemma: One cat wants the teepee; the other wants the cabin. Guess I'd have to get both!
The facial expressions on these model cats are also awesome. 

"This here is MY teepee..."

Love that sneaky look!

Fantastic advertising - this is where you'll usually find my cats. Or in a basket...

Images via Loyal Luxe. First spotted on Happiness Is...

I have a blog.

And sometimes I update it. Sometimes I don't. Whoops!
It was another crazy week at work and I'm still dealing with carpal tunnel issues, so my computer use at home has been low. Thanks to a new chair that raises high enough to keep my elbows at a 90degree angle, and a new keyboard that lets me keep my mouse closer, the wrist and shoulder issues seem to be getting a little better. Yay!
Last weekend I took a break from the computer to enjoy my yard in our gorgeous SoCal weather - after rain and sunshine, the weeds sprout quicker than I can pull them! I wore out the hubs on Sunday cleaning windows - here he is, taking a break with Sammi-dog. He thinks he's a lap dog... but he's not.

I have a big Valentine round-up coming soon for all you last-minute crafters, so stay tuned!
Have a happy Friday!

Christmas is Coming!

I hope our neighbors like chocolate! These were so hard to give away - I wanted to eat them all! Those little cookie things in the top right corner are amazing. They're petite batons from Trader Joes. I could eat an entire box in one sitting (good thing they are small boxes!).

All packaged up and ready for the hubs to deliver. (Thanks, mom, for the boxes!)

I *think* all the presents are wrapped - now it's time to load them in the sleigh and transport them to Long Beach, where we'll be celebrating with my family. I especially love the present that's as big as the tree. Isn't it fun?? You'll never guess what's inside! The apple box is full of stocking stuffers, one of my favorites parts of Christmas gift giving.

Pantaloup got tired of chasing strings and balls of tissue around the house, so she's all curled up in the hubs' jacket. I know, Pant. I'm tired, too!!

All images by me. Please don't use them without asking first. Because they're just that awesome!

Creature Feature

I don't pull my drapes down and wash them very often because they're so quickly dirty again - especially when you have pets that like to nap in the sun. This little girl (and her brother Earnest) have found a favorite spot on top of the bookshelf in the guest room on sunny afternoons.

If I had a pug...

I'd totally buy this little peacoat and take him to the beach.
So. Adorable.
Available from Rover on etsy. 

Image via...

Happy Saturday!

Yay for the weekend!
It's another gorgeous sunny day so we've spent most of it outside. The hubs (finally) mowed the front yard so our home doesn't look like a little house on the prairie. I like Laura Ingalls Wilder and all but I don't really want to be her.
I did a ton of weeding, fertilizing and pruning and Sammi even got a bath. Our big tree is starting to drop its leaves and all those little pokey round ball things so I'm going to have to start raking on a more regular basis. Those things hurt when you step on them!

Yesterday I put the final touches on the entryway paint job - just need the hubs to cut the baseboards so we can install them and we'll be done!
Here are the pictures I promised -

Before - it all starts with a little scrape scrape scrape...


Getting rid of the hideous beige...


So fresh and so clean!


Images by me. Please don't use without asking first. 'Cause they're just that awesome.

Bad kitty nom nom.

She's doing it again. Trying to be sneaky and failing. Maybe she thinks I can't see her because it's kind of dark in here?

Creature Feature: You can call me flower...

Pantaloup has a tendency to eat my flowers. Consequently, I usually keep the hydrangeas from our yard way up on top of the bookshelf. Last time I brought one of these little white ones inside, she completely ignored it. This time, she got curious...

I'm just looking at it...


Maybe I will look at it from over here...


I just want to smell it...

And then she tried to nibble it and got squirted by the squirt bottle and ran away.
Bad kitty trying to nom nom my flowers.

Hubs'NEm's Quote of the Day

Hubs: I caught Sammi sleeping on the chair in the guest room twice yesterday.
Me: Yeah, he likes it up there. Softer than the rug.
Hubs: Still, not a good idea to indulge him. It's like a gateway piece of furniture. Can't have him hopping up on the bed again.
Me: Kind of like marijuana being the gateway drug to harder drugs, like cocaine?
Hubs: Yep. Sammi's gonna end up a stoner if we're not careful.

Creature Feature: This little piggy.

Commercials like this almost make me want to switch to Geico.
And/or get a pet piggy.

Happiness is...

Sticking your head out the window while cruising the Pacific Coast Highway.
Doesn't get much better than this.

Creature Feature: Game Night

Apparently, everyone in our little family likes a rousing game of CandyLand!
We played four times - the hubs won twice, and Pantaloup and I each won once. Earnest almost won but got stuck at "Storytime with Belle" for a bajillion turns and came in way last. Poor guy.
We had to play most of the game for them because they were too busy doing what they do best: Sitting in boxes.

Creature Feature Sunday

Our sunny afternoon is waning; evening lurks on the horizon. I am le tired.
We have de-flea-ed (deflead? defleaded?) the entire house again, which means vacuuming and spraying almost every possible surface you can touch or see, numerous loads of laundry, and torturing the animals with sprays, washes, juices, and pills.
We also assembled a dog house, braved the Sunday Costco crowd (we were desperately in need of toilet paper...), purchased a large new cat tree (on total clearance) and a cedar doggy bed. Fleas aren't supposed to like cedar. We'll see if that is true.
There also seems to be some debate about who the doggy bed is for now that it's on the living room floor - Pantaloup has spent more time on it than the dog so far.
And now I must start thinking about dinner.
Toodles!

This here be my kitty tower!

But I thought you said it was for me? I am such an innocent little creature.

Yes, it is mine.

I just want to be close! I want to help assemble my new house by being in your way!


Hello? Is anyone home?

Pictures by me and the hubs. Please don't use without asking. 'Cause they're just that awesome.

I like stripes.

It's true, I'm loving stripes lately for myself - it helps that they're everywhere - and now I'm loving this leash for Sammi:

Image via davir dog design on etsy.

You're never too old for a birthday hat.

Or, "You're never too old to request your favorite meal from your mom on your birthday. And cake."

Short story: We spent time with the in-laws. Dogs got dressed up. Hubs likes ribs. Party hats. Photos!

Sammi got a birthday bandana from Grandma Bobbie - all dressed up for a party!

Hubs celebrates his birthday with his two favorite foods: Ribs 'n Root Beer. Happy man.

And cake, "decorated" by yours truly:

Forgot I had the camera on manual focus for this one.
Or maybe we need to lay off the root beer...
Regardless, they're cute. And silly.

Warning! Smooches below. Happy Birthday, hubs!

Dear Hubs,

Thank you for not liking cottage cheese so I can eat it with a spoon right out of the container while sitting on the couch in your robe in the middlest of the night when I can't sleep while you and the dog are snoring away in the deep slumber you fell into 3.2 minutes after you crawled into bed.
Oh, and I'm totally blushing about the flowers you brought me after work today but I think Pantaloup got confused and thinks they're for her 'cause she keeps jumping on the table and nom-noming on them until I squirt her with the water but then she waits 'til I'm not looking and does it again. I think she needs more fiber in her diet or something. Maybe you can share your generic fiber pills with her. Cats get old, too, you know.
xoxo,
me